---
description: This is the API documentation for the OpenBao Kubernetes auth method plugin.
---

# Kubernetes auth method (API)

:::warning

**Note**: This engine can use external X.509 certificates as part of TLS or signature validation.
   Verifying signatures against X.509 certificates that use SHA-1 is deprecated and is no longer
   usable without a workaround. See the
   [deprecation FAQ](/docs/deprecation/faq#q-what-is-the-impact-of-removing-support-for-x-509-certificates-with-signatures-that-use-sha-1)
   for more information.

:::

This is the API documentation for the OpenBao Kubernetes auth method plugin. To
learn more about the usage and operation, see the
[OpenBao Kubernetes auth method](/docs/auth/kubernetes).

This documentation assumes the Kubernetes method is mounted at the
`/auth/kubernetes` path in OpenBao. Since it is possible to enable auth methods at
any location, please update your API calls accordingly.

## Configure method

The Kubernetes auth method validates service account JWTs and verifies their
existence with the Kubernetes TokenReview API. This endpoint configures the
public key used to validate the JWT signature and the necessary information to
access the Kubernetes API.

| Method | Path                      |
| :----- | :------------------------ |
| `POST` | `/auth/kubernetes/config` |

### Parameters

- `kubernetes_host` `(string: <required>)` - Host must be a host string, a host:port pair, or a URL to the base of the Kubernetes API server.
- `kubernetes_ca_cert` `(string: "")` - PEM encoded CA cert for use by the TLS client used to talk with the Kubernetes API. NOTE: Every line must end with a newline: `\n`
  If not set, the local CA cert will be used if running in a Kubernetes pod.
- `token_reviewer_jwt` `(string: "")` - A service account JWT used to access the TokenReview
  API to validate other JWTs during login. If not set,
  the local service account token is used if running in a Kubernetes pod, otherwise
  the JWT submitted in the login payload will be used to access the Kubernetes TokenReview API.
- `pem_keys` `(array: [])` - Optional list of PEM-formatted public keys or certificates
  used to verify the signatures of Kubernetes service account
  JWTs. If a certificate is given, its public key will be
  extracted. Not every installation of Kubernetes exposes these
  keys.
- `disable_local_ca_jwt` `(bool: false)` - Disable defaulting to the local CA cert and service account JWT when running in a Kubernetes pod.

### Deprecated parameters

:::info

The following fields have been deprecated and will be removed in a future release:

:::

- `disable_iss_validation` `(bool: true)` **Deprecated** Disable JWT issuer validation. Allows to skip ISS validation.

- `issuer` `(string: "")` **Deprecated** Optional JWT issuer. If no issuer is specified, then this plugin will use `kubernetes/serviceaccount` as the default issuer.
See [these instructions](/docs/auth/kubernetes#discovering-the-service-account-issuer) for looking up the issuer for a given Kubernetes cluster.

### Caveats

If OpenBao is running in a Kubernetes Pod, the `kubernetes_ca_cert` and
`token_reviewer_jwt` parameters will automatically default to the local CA cert
(`/var/run/secrets/kubernetes.io/serviceaccount/ca.crt`) and local service
account JWT (`/var/run/secrets/kubernetes.io/serviceaccount/token`). This
behavior may be disabled by setting `disable_local_ca_jwt` to `true`.

When OpenBao is running in a non-Kubernetes environment, either
`kubernetes_ca_cert` or `pem_keys` must be set by the user.

### Sample payload

```json
{
  "kubernetes_host": "https://192.168.99.100:8443",
  "kubernetes_ca_cert": "-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----\n.....\n-----END CERTIFICATE-----",
  "pem_keys": "-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----\n.....\n-----END CERTIFICATE-----"
}
```

### Sample request

```shell-session
$ curl \
    --header "X-Vault-Token: ..." \
    --request POST \
    --data @payload.json \
    http://127.0.0.1:8200/v1/auth/kubernetes/config
```

## Read config

Returns the previously configured config, excluding credentials.

| Method | Path                      |
| :----- | :------------------------ |
| `GET`  | `/auth/kubernetes/config` |

### Sample request

```shell-session
$ curl \
    --header "X-Vault-Token: ..." \
    http://127.0.0.1:8200/v1/auth/kubernetes/config
```

### Sample response

```json
{
  "data":{
    "kubernetes_host": "https://192.168.99.100:8443",
    "kubernetes_ca_cert": "-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----.....-----END CERTIFICATE-----",
    "pem_keys": ["-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----.....", .....],
    "disable_local_ca_jwt": false
  }
}
```

## Create/Update role

Registers a role in the auth method. Role types have specific entities
that can perform login operations against this endpoint. Constraints specific
to the role type must be set on the role. These are applied to the authenticated
entities attempting to login.

| Method | Path                          |
| :----- | :---------------------------- |
| `POST` | `/auth/kubernetes/role/:name` |

### Parameters

- `name` `(string: <required>)` - Name of the role.
- `bound_service_account_names` `(array: <required>)` - List of service account
  names able to access this role. If set to "\*" all names are allowed.
- `bound_service_account_namespaces` `(array: <required>)` - List of namespaces
  allowed to access this role. If set to "\*" all namespaces are allowed.
- `audience` `(string: "")` - Optional Audience claim to verify in the JWT.
- `alias_name_source` `(string: "serviceaccount_uid")` - Configures how identity aliases are generated.
  Valid choices are: `serviceaccount_uid`, `serviceaccount_name`
  When `serviceaccount_uid` is specified, the machine generated UID from the service account will be used as the identity alias name.
  When `serviceaccount_name` is specified, the service account's namespace and name will be used as the identity alias name e.g `openbao/openbao-auth`.
  While it is strongly advised that you use `serviceaccount_uid`, you may also use `serviceaccount_name` in cases where
  you want to set the alias ahead of time, and the risks are mitigated or otherwise acceptable given your use case.
  It is very important to limit who is able to delete/create service accounts within a given cluster.
  See the [Create an Entity Alias](/api-docs/secret/identity/entity-alias#create-an-entity-alias) document
  which further expands on the potential security implications mentioned above.

@include 'tokenfields.mdx'

### Sample payload

```json
{
  "bound_service_account_names": "openbao-auth",
  "bound_service_account_namespaces": "default",
  "policies": ["dev", "prod"],
  "max_ttl": 1800000
}
```

### Sample request

```shell-session
$ curl \
    --header "X-Vault-Token: ..." \
    --request POST \
    --data @payload.json \
    http://127.0.0.1:8200/v1/auth/kubernetes/role/dev-role
```

## Read role

Returns the previously registered role configuration.

| Method | Path                          |
| :----- | :---------------------------- |
| `GET`  | `/auth/kubernetes/role/:name` |

### Parameters

- `name` `(string: <required>)` - Name of the role.

### Sample request

```shell-session
$ curl \
    --header "X-Vault-Token: ..." \
    http://127.0.0.1:8200/v1/auth/kubernetes/role/dev-role
```

### Sample response

```json
{
  "data": {
    "bound_service_account_names": "openbao-auth",
    "bound_service_account_namespaces": "default",
    "max_ttl": 1800000,
    "ttl": 0,
    "period": 0,
    "policies": ["dev", "prod"]
  }
}
```

## List roles

Lists all the roles that are registered with the auth method.

| Method | Path                              |
| :----- | :-------------------------------- |
| `LIST` | `/auth/kubernetes/role`           |
| `GET`  | `/auth/kubernetes/role?list=true` |

### Parameters

 - `after` `(string: "")` - Optional entry to begin listing after for
   pagination; not required to exist.

 - `limit` `(int: 0)` - Optional number of entries to return; defaults
   to all entries.

### Sample request

```shell-session
$ curl \
    --header "X-Vault-Token: ..." \
    --request LIST \
    http://127.0.0.1:8200/v1/auth/kubernetes/role
```

### Sample response

```json
{
  "data": {
    "keys": ["dev-role", "prod-role"]
  }
}
```

## Delete role

Deletes the previously registered role.

| Method   | Path                          |
| :------- | :---------------------------- |
| `DELETE` | `/auth/kubernetes/role/:role` |

### Parameters

- `role` `(string: <required>)` - Name of the role.

### Sample request

```shell-session
$ curl \
    --header "X-Vault-Token: ..." \
    --request DELETE \
    http://127.0.0.1:8200/v1/auth/kubernetes/role/dev-role
```

## Login

Fetch a token. This endpoint takes a signed JSON Web Token (JWT) and
a role name for some entity. It verifies the JWT signature to authenticate that
entity and then authorizes the entity for the given role.

| Method | Path                     |
| :----- | :----------------------- |
| `POST` | `/auth/kubernetes/login` |

### Parameters

- `role` `(string: <required>)` - Name of the role against which the login is being
  attempted.
- `jwt` `(string: <required>)` - Signed [JSON Web
  Token](https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc7519) (JWT) for authenticating a service
  account.

### Sample payload

```json
{
  "role": "dev-role",
  "jwt": "eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9..."
}
```

### Sample request

```shell-session
$ curl \
    --request POST \
    --data @payload.json \
    http://127.0.0.1:8200/v1/auth/kubernetes/login
```

### Sample response

```json
{
  "auth": {
    "client_token": "62b858f9-529c-6b26-e0b8-0457b6aacdb4",
    "accessor": "afa306d0-be3d-c8d2-b0d7-2676e1c0d9b4",
    "policies": ["default"],
    "metadata": {
      "role": "test",
      "service_account_name": "openbao-auth",
      "service_account_namespace": "default",
      "service_account_secret_name": "openbao-auth-token-pd21c",
      "service_account_uid": "aa9aa8ff-98d0-11e7-9bb7-0800276d99bf"
    },
    "lease_duration": 2764800,
    "renewable": true
  }
}
```
